The North Carolina Dockside Grill Cooking Shrimp The Old-Fashioned Way
I’ll be honest: the first time I rolled up to Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill in Southport, I wasn’t expecting much. Just another waterfront shack, I figured.
But then I watched them peel shrimp by hand, toss them in a fryer, and plate them with nothing but lemon and house-made cocktail sauce. That simplicity hit different.
This is how coastal North Carolina has cooked shrimp for generations, and Rusty Hooks keeps that tradition alive without the fuss or fancy plating. You’ll see that it is something truly special.
Where You’re Headed (And Why Locals Love It)
Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill sits right at 4907 Fish Factory Road SE in Southport, perched on the Intracoastal Waterway where boats drift past and the breeze carries salt. Locals pack this place because it feels honest, unpretentious, and refreshingly real.
No reservations here, so you show up, grab a spot, and settle in. The vibe is pure dockside casual, the kind of spot where flip-flops and sunburns are the dress code.
Check rustyhooksdockside.com before you roll in, because hours shift with the season and the tides.
The Shrimp, Done the Old-Fashioned Coastal Way
Rusty Hooks sources every shrimp from North Carolina waters, then peels and deveins them in-house every single day.
No shortcuts, no frozen bags from halfway across the world. Just local catch treated the way dock towns have done it since forever.
The kitchen keeps it simple on purpose. A little seasoning, a hot pan or fryer, and that’s it. When shrimp are this fresh, you don’t need to hide them under heavy sauces or complicated techniques that muddy the flavor.
Two Classic Orders to Nail Your First Visit
Start with the fried North Carolina shrimp or go straight for the steamed peel-and-eat version. Both are no-nonsense, hands-on plates that let the shrimp speak for themselves.
Rusty Hooks doesn’t overcomplicate these classics because they don’t need to.
The fried shrimp come out golden and crispy, perfect for dunking in cocktail sauce. The peel-and-eat option is even more primal: crack the shells, dip in cocktail sauce, squeeze lemon, repeat.
It’s picnic-table eating at its finest, messy and worth every second.
The Room, The View, The Ritual
This amazing spot offers a breezy dockside dining room and a tiki deck where boats slip past like clockwork.
The whole setup screams come-as-you-are, with zero pretense and maximum chill. You could show up in swim trunks and nobody would blink.
Sunsets here stretch dinner into a slow, lazy ritual. The light hits the water just right, and suddenly nobody’s in a rush anymore.
That view alone makes the shrimp taste better, though I can’t scientifically prove it.
If You’re Bringing a Crew
When you’re feeding a group at Rusty Hooks, let the shrimp lead the charge. Then round out the table with hushpuppies, slaw, and a fish-n-chips plate.
The menu reads like a friendly marina’s greatest hits, full of crowd-pleasers that nobody argues with.
Hushpuppies here are crispy little golden nuggets, perfect for soaking up butter or just popping in your mouth between bites. The slaw adds crunch and tang, cutting through the richness of fried seafood. Everybody leaves happy.
When to Go (So You Actually Get a Table)
This place operates on a first-come, first-served basis, which means fair-weather afternoons and sunset hours get slammed fast.
If you want a fighting chance at a table, time lunch a little early or aim for dinner just after the initial rush dies down.
Check rustyhooksdockside.com for current hours before you make the drive, since they adjust seasonally.
Showing up at 5:30 on a sunny Saturday without a backup plan is a gamble you’ll probably lose, so plan accordingly.
First-Timer Playbook
Park at South Harbour Village Marina, then head straight for the tiki deck if the weather cooperates.
Order the fried shrimp or peel-and-eat, and let those simple, hands-on plates do exactly what they’ve always done on this coast: taste like the water out back.
Rusty Hooks even offers a Hook & Cook option if you’re feeling adventurous. Book a charter, catch your own fish, and they’ll clean and cook it two or three ways while you relax dockside.
That’s old-school coastal living at its finest.